Jarret Stoll's deal with the Rangers is low cost but not no-risk

After his drug arrest, Jarret Stoll is getting a second chance with the New York Rangers and could improve their face-off percentage.

Author:
Allan Muir
Publish date:
Aug 10, 2015

It looked for awhile there as if Jarret Stoll’s NHL career was over. Age, salary cap concerns and declining play had already made the two-time Stanley Cup winner a long shot to re-sign with the Kings, but his chances of hooking up with another club took a serious hit when he was charged with a felony count of cocaine possession in April.

The charge, which came after Stoll was arrested while entering a pool party at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, eventually was reduced to a pair of misdemeanors, prompting both a guilty plea and a promise from Stoll.

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“Now that the case has been resolved, I am committed to meeting all of my obligations to the court and I'm grateful for the chance to offer guidance and to share positive life lessons to kids as part of the resolution of this matter,” he said in a statement. “My focus remains on hockey and I’m looking forward to getting back on the ice next season.”

Now he’ll get his chance. The 33-year-old center signed a one-year deal with the Rangers on Monday for $800,000.

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Even with that small financial stake there’s still some risk involved for New York. Stoll will require more maintenance than most players, simply to ensure that there are no recurring problems. And there’s no guarantee that he’ll make the most of this opportunity. Ryan Malone, another player with drug issues, didn’t do much with the chance the Rangers gave him last season.

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But from a purely hockey perspective, it’s a sound deal for the Blueshirts. Stoll won’t bring much offense, but that’s not what will be expected of the fourth-liner. Instead, he’ll be asked to bring a strong defensive game, to kill penalties and to dominate in the face-off circle. Though he won just 51% of his draws last season, he won 54.7% in 2013–14 and 56% in ’12–13. For a team that won just 46.7% of its draws last season (28th in the league) anyone who can push New York closer to 50/50 in the circle could be a significant add.

And for Stoll, the deal is a huge victory. Sure, he took a deep cut from the $3.25 million he made last season with Los Angeles, but this deal offers more than money. It’s a hand extended to a player who is looking to get his life back in order, a chance to prove that he still has something to offer the league and to society. Here’s hoping he makes the most of it.

Gallery: NHL players who have had brushes with the law

NHL Players and the Law

Patrick Kane

In Aug. 2015, the Blackhawks star was accused of sexual assault by a woman who went to his home near Buffalo, NY. No charges were filed after an investigation. Kane's maturity was first called into question during the summer of 2009 when he and his cousin James got into a late night fracas with a Buffalo cab driver over 20 cents change on a $14.80 fare. After pummeling the driver, Kane, then 20, and his cousin fled but were caught by cops. Kane pleaded guilty to non-criminal disorderly conduct. All other charges were dropped.

Mike Richards

The Kings terminated the veteran center’s contract after he was arrested at the U.S.-Canadian border in May 2015 for alleged unlawful possession of the painkiller oxycodone. Richards was reportedly detained by police and charges were later filed.

Ryan O'Reilly

After signing a seven-year, $52 million deal with the Sabres following his trade from Colorado, the 24-year-old center was arrested in Lucan, Ontario for driving while impaired. According to police, O'Reilly crashed his pickup truck into a Tim Hortons' donut shop shortly after 4.am. on July 9, 2015 and fled the scene with his passengers. Cops later found him walking on a nearby street and his blood alcohol level was found to be over the legal limit of .08%.

Jarret Stoll

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via Getty Images

Las Vegas police arrested the Kings forward in April 2015 for allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine and Molly into a pool party at the MGM Grand Hotel. He was released on $5,000 bail and the charge was later reduced from felony drug possession to two misdemeanors (trespass and breach of peace). Stoll was sentenced to 32 hours of community service.

Slava Voynov

The Kings defenseman was charged with a felony count of corporal injury to spouse with great bodily injury after assaulting his wife on Oct. 19, 2014. He was suspended indefinitely by the team and pleaded not guilty, later accepting a “no contest” plea deal that carried a jail term of 90 days and possible deportation to his native Russia. Voynov voluntarily left the U.S., effectively ending his NHL career.

Claude Giroux

The Flyers' star center was arrested in Ottawa on July 2, 2014 and spent the night in jail for allegedly repeatedly grabbing the buttocks of a male police officer, the Ottawa Sun reported. Alcohol was believed to be a factor in the incident. According to the paper, the police refused to comment directly on Giroux unless charges were filed. Giroux was later released without being charged with any crime.

Ryan Malone

Tampa police arrested the Lightning winger at 3:19 a.m. on April 12, 2004 and charged him with DUI and cocaine possession. He was also cited for driving with a suspended license and found to have seven violations within the past year, including speeding. He pleaded no contest to DUI and was given 12 months probation. After being bought out by the Lightning and entering a recovery program, he signed with the New York Rangers the following September.

Semyon Varlamov

RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images

On the eve of Halloween 2013, Semyon Varlamov, the starting goalie for the Colorado Avalanche, was arrested on domestic violence charges that included second-degree kidnapping and third-degree assault in connection with an incident involving his girlfriend. On Nov. 22, he was formally charged with misdemeanour assault and faced up to two years in jail, but one month later the charge was dropped by a Denver judge after prosecutors said they could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Patrick Roy

The current Avalanche coach was the team's goaltender when he was arrested after his wife called 911 during an argument about in-laws in October 2000. Mrs. Roy was unhurt and the fiery goalie admitted that he'd yanked two doors of their hinges. He was released on bail and the case was later dismissed by a county judge because it did not meet the standard misdemeanor criminal mischief during an act of domestic violence.

Nikolai Khabibulin

The Oilers' veteran goalie was busted for extreme DUI and speeding near Phoenix in February 2010 while rehabbing a back injury. He received a 30-day jail sentence.

Ed Belfour

The Stars goalie was involved in a March 2000 incident at a Dallas hotel where security was called after his female companion became frightened by Belfour's drunken belligerence. He grappled with a guard, kicked two police officers, and was blasted with pepper spray. He later offered the cops a billion dollars to not take him to jail. No dice. He ended up pleading guilty, apologizing, and being given two years probation and $3,000 fine.

Mike Danton

In April 2004, the Blues forward, 23, was arrested at an airport in San Jose and charged with conspiring to have a man killed, a man who was said to be coming to St. Louis to murder Danton over money owed. Prosecutors contended that the man in question was David Frost, Danton's agent. Danton insisted the man was his father, Steve, and he attempted suicide in Santa Clara (Calif.) County Jail shortly after his arrest. He later reached a plea deal and was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison. The judge said, "In over 18 years on the bench, I have [never] been faced with a case as bizarre as this one." After serving 65 months, during which time he received intensive therapy, Danton was freed in the fall of 2009. He resumed his playing career at St. Mary's University in Halifax, NS, and later for teams in Austria and Slovakia. "I'm glad I went to prison," he told SI in 2011.

Rick Tocchet

The former forward, then an assistant coach with the Phoenix Coyotes, was charged by authorities in New Jersey with financing a multi-million dollar bookmaking operation that took bets from other NHL players and allegedly had mob ties. The incident caused great embarrassment for Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky, whose wife, Janet Jones, and was said to have placed wagers with Tocchet, who later pleaded guilty in May 2007 and was given two years probation. He could have spent five years in prison.

Kevin Stevens

The New York Rangers winger, an alternate captain and popular family man, was busted at a grimy Collinsville, Ill., motel in January 2000 for soliciting a prostitute and possessing drug paraphernalia as well as the remains of a crack eight-ball. He faced a felony drug charge and later entered the NHL's substance abuse program. After two months in rehab, the drug charge was dropped.

Theo Fleury

The NHL career of the talented but troubled forward, a sex abuse victim, all but ended in January 2003 with a drunken brawl in a Columbus, Ohio, strip club. After signing a two-year deal with Chicago the previous August, Fleury was suspended 25 games at the start of the season for violating his substance abuse aftercare program. He ended up getting sober and briefly attempted a comeback in 2009.

Bob Probert

The late enforcer was frequently in the news for a variety of transgressions, not the least of which was a March 1989 bust on the US-Canada border during which customs officers found 14.3 grams of cocaine in his undershorts. At the time, Probert had been in and out of rehab clinics five times in the preceding three years. He became the first player in more than four decades to be banned from the NHL, serving three months in prison before later being reinstated, but the trouble never stopped. In 2004, he was Tasered during an altercation with police.

Dino Ciccarelli

The Minnesota North Stars winger was nabbed in November 1987 when he took a stroll to fetch the newspaper outside his home in Minneapolis while wearing only a sweater. A female neighbor did not find he view to be particularly heartwarming and called the cops. He was given a year's probation and community service. In January 1988, he became the first NHL player to be arrested for an on-ice assault, after clubbing Luke Richardson of the Maple Leafs with a stick. He was found guilty, spent a day in jail and paid a $1,000 fine on top of a 10-game suspension by the league.

Dustin Byfuglien

The Winnipeg Jets blueliner was busted for suspicion of operating a motorboat on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota while under the influence. In July 2012, he reached a pre-trial agreement: a plea of guilty to a charge carrying a $1,000 fine and a sentence of 30 days that was reduced to two, which he spent doing garbage pickup and other productive but menial jobs.

Brett Sutter

The Calgary Flames forward and son of the team's then-GM Darryl Sutter, was accused in November 2010 of being extremely drunk when he punched a cab driver in the face outside a Scottsdale, Ariz. bar from which he'd been tossed for disorderly behavior. Brett, then 23, was brought down by bouncers and faced a misdemeanor charge. He pleaded guilty and was fined $323.60.

Joe Corvo

The LA Kings blueliner was busted at a Boston eatery in November 2002 after being ejected for grabbing a woman's rump, then returning to punch and kick her. Corvo fled but was apprehended and faced a litany of assault and battery charges to which he pleaded guilty. The Kings suspended him for three games and he took anger management classes, later citing the incident as the turning point of his future.

Ziggy Palffy

The Kings forward was arrested in October 2003 during an investigation of domestic battery after a confrontation with his fiance in Manhattan Beach, CA. He was released on his own recognizance. The charge was dropped after the district attorney cited insufficient evidence and decided against filing it. "It's unfortunate that a personal matter had to become public but I appreciate everyone's support and I am glad that I can now put this behind me," Palffy said in a statement.

Dany Heatley

The Thrashers winger, 22, was charged with six counts in a vehicular homicide on Sept. 29, 2003 when he crashed his Ferrari while speeding in Atlanta. Friend and teammate Dan Snyder was killed in the accident and Heatley faced up to 20 years in jail. He pleaded guilty to four charges and was sentenced to three years probation after Snyder's family told the judge they did not want the remorseful Heatley imprisoned.